Focusing on the Traditional Benedictine Office in accordance with the 1963 Benedictine calendar and rubrics, including the Farnborough edition of the Monastic Diurnal.
This is my annual reminder that Advent is the most complicated season for the Office, so you need to keep your wits about you!
Advent falls into two parts - the days up to and including December 16, and the final week of the season.
For the first part of the season, remember to keep a ribbon on the relevant parts for each hour of the day of 'the Ordinary of Advent' (front of the Diurnal), since these displace the normal texts set out in the psalter section of the book.
Key things to remember:
Sundays in Advent (from 1 Vespers on Saturday) have proper antiphons at all hours;
the Sunday antiphons are then used throughout the week at Prime to None;
there are special Benedictus and Magnificat antiphons for each day of the Advent week;
the default collect is of the Sunday as usual; and
on feast days (such as for St Ambrose), a commemoration of Advent, consisting of the canticle antiphon (of the Advent day), versicle (of the season) and collect of the Advent week (in that order), is normally made at both Lauds and Vespers.
The Immaculate Conception
Another key point to note is that this year the feast of the Immaculate Conception falls on a Sunday, and, due to a special rubric just for this feast, displaces the Second Sunday of Advent (which is marked only by a commemoration at Lauds and Vespers).
The Ordo
And just a reminder that if you are struggling, consider buying a copy of the Ordo - the summary version is on the blog, but the full version provides much more detailed instructions.
As I mentioned in a previous post, through Advent I used a 1953 breviary, adapting it to the 1960 rubrics - a task made easier I should note by the inclusion in the volume I bought, of a 1960 supplement, coupled with a few pencil deletions done by a previous owner of the books!
I've previously posted on the differences to the sanctoral cycle; so today I thought I'd continue on, and take a look at the differences to Advent itself.
Advent and Christmas
When it comes to Advent, the readings and texts in the Benedictine Office (in contrast to the Roman) have not, as far as I can see, changed over the course of the twentieth century.
There are only two differences that I could see.
The first is to extend the use of the special antiphons for the day hours between December 17 and 23 to Vespers in 1960, a change I quite like - it seems odd to me (no matter how traditional it might be) to use a set of special antiphons at Lauds to None then revert to the throughout the year set at Vespers on Class II days.
The second is that under the previous rubrics, the set of special antiphons not used on December 21 because of the feast of St Thomas were used on Saturday.
In the 1960 office a specific set of antiphons for Saturday are included, so one day's worth of antiphons are not used each year. The Saturday antiphons are not new inventions however, but rather apparently a relic of Solesmes' own in-house practice, the change brought the Benedictine office into line with practice in the Roman Office following the 1911 reforms.
I assume the main argument for these changes was simplicity, and there is something to be said for that - juggling the multiple moving parts during these days is hard enough as it is.
The temporal cycle
In Advent, then, there are a few minor differences of no great consequence (indeed arguably even improvements).
And indeed, for most of the year, there are no differences at all in the temporal cycle between the two editions of the monastic breviary.
Epiphanytide
Even during the former octaves of the temporale cycle, for example, one of the worst of the wreckovations in my view, the key texts (such as for the Gospels for the relevant Sunday within the Octave) have been retained, with many of the Office texts have been transformed into the 'Ordinary' of the season.
In the former Octave of the Epiphany, for example, the canticle antiphons of the octave are retained, except where another feast or a Saturday of Our Lady intervenes.
What a shame, though, that they didn't just make these days Class III, and thus allow us to enjoy a full de facto octave every year. That said, I suspect the provisions of Cum sanctissima arguably would now authorise this approach.
Holy Week
Apart from January, the other contender for worst wreckovation, as a commenter on another post has noted, is Holy Week.
And when it comes to the Mass and other ceremonies outside the Office, that's certainly true (though mitigated for many these days by the permissions to use the earlier version of Holy Week)..
When it comes to the Office there are, it has to be said, the admittedly peculiar instructions to omit certain Offices if one attends some of the main ceremonies.
But there is surely nothing stopping one from saying these hours if one wishes - outside a monastery these are rarely said publicly in any case, and in a monastery they are mostly all said regardless of the rubrics as far as I can gather!
When it comes to the texts of the Office itself, though, there has been much less tinkering - it is perfectly possible to use the 1928 Triduum book for the office for example (I've done it) - the main difference being a few additional repetitions of Psalm 50 and the times at which certain hours are (supposed to be) said.
The structure of the Office
The case for 'restoring the 54', then, as far as I can see - though it may well be that I've missed something - does not rest on the temporal cycle (octaves aside), at least in the case of the Benedictine office, but rather on the sanctoral and perhaps other features of the breviaries.
I plan to look at the extra prayers and other changes to the hours themselves in the next post in this series.
There is increasing interest, these days, in the use of older breviaries, at least amongst liturgical nerds and in some parts of traddy world.
Accordingly, this Advent I decided to use a 1953 (Latin only) monastic breviary as my main office book, adapting it to the 1963 calendar and rubrics, but reading the texts that differ outside the Office, so I could get a better feel for features of the older rubrics and calendar.
So herewith some reflections on the differences between the books and their respective merits, in the hope that it might spark some debate!
I plan to divide up my comments into a couple of posts, covering:
the physical books;
the calendar differences for the sanctoral and temporal cycles;
differences the structure and content of the hours themselves (things like preces, hymn doxologies, etc).
The books
So first something about the physical books.
None of the monastic breviaries are currently in print, and they are all fairly scarce and expensive to buy secondhand (although the 1930 breviary is available online).
Four volumes vs two
The 1963 breviary (and the 1930) comes in two volumes, but the 1953 edition follows the Roman by being spread over four volumes, thus increasing the cost.
The need for four volumes is presumably because of the slightly smaller size - 1953 book is two centimeters in length shorter - but I don't personally find that any more convenient than the slightly bigger book.
The type size and fonts seem to be the same.
Psalter placement
Secondly, the 1963 breviary places the psalter at the middle of the book. Personally I prefer that - it helps to prolong the book's life a bit, but also makes it easier to see where the temporale vs sanctorale are. By contrast, the 1953 follows the older structure of putting the psalter at the beginning.
Repeated texts
Perhaps the most annoying feature of the 1953 book is that, like the Diurnale, it doesn't bother repeating key fixed part of the hours such as the Prime hymn and the Benedictus and Magnificat each day - with four volumes to spread it over, it seems to me that more concession to convenience could have been made.
I guess part of the rationale is that monks will tend to know these parts by heart - and yes I do know them too, but I like having them in front of me all the same!
More importantly perhaps, breviaries were presumably mostly only used when a monk was out of the monastery, for the Matins readings (with a psalter or the Antiphonale for the psalms), and as a reference document for rubrics and planning purposes. But it is still annoying.
Sanctoral calendar
When it comes to the sanctoral calendar, the changes are in my view, a bit of a mixed bag. The changes were that:
the feast of St Peter Chrysologus on December 2 (a fifth century bishop of Ravenna) was reduced to a commemoration in 1963 (previously the equivalent of Class III);
the feasts of St Ambrose and St Lucy are reduced from being a Class II equivalent, with three Nocturns, to Class III;
the Octave of the Immaculate Conception was abolished;
the second and third class equivalent feasts (St Lucy and St Thomas in December) no longer have a first Vespers;
the commemorations of St Melchiadus (Pope 311-313, December 10) and St Thomas (Beckett, December 20) were abolished; and
commemorations were generally previously made at both Vespers and Lauds; under the 1960 rubrics they occur at Lauds only.
The Octave of the Immaculate Conception
The biggest change is clearly the abolition of the Octave of the Immaculate Conception, and in my view that was a positive step.
The effect of the Octave (introduced to the Roman office in the eighteenth century) was to displace the ancient texts of Advent, including the antiphons set for the day hours each week, and replace them with the same repeated texts each day in the day hours; and to replace the reading of Isaiah, a tradition dating back to St Benedict's time, with readings from the Papal Bull of Pius IX.
In a year when the feast of the Immaculate Conception falls on a Sunday, the antiphons wouldn't be said at all.
I really can't see a strong case for the suppression of the seasonal texts, particularly as the season already has a strong Marian flavour in its readings and the responsories.
It has been pointed out to me though, that the monks of Norcia have come up with a sensible compromise approach to this problem for those keen on octaves, namely commemorating the Octave at Lauds and Vespers but privileging the Advent days.
Class III vs Class II?
Similarly, I don't mind the reduction of St Ambrose and St Lucy to Class III feasts - Class II feasts in the Benedictine Office are not very different when it comes to the day hours, but festal Matins is very very long indeed compared to both the Class III structure (3 vs 12 readings and responsories, plus extra three canticles, Te Deum and Gospel) and the Roman Office version.
It is not obvious though, why St Peter Chrysologus was demoted, or the two commemorations abolished - they all represent quite important saints on the face of it.
First Vespers
One of the most important rubrical changes between the 1953 Office and the 1963 was the abolition of First Vespers for most feasts.
It was a mistake I think, as it means that Class III feasts regularly don't have any Vespers at all, such as when they fall on a Saturday.
Most monasteries have restored them for class II feasts, but I think there is scope to go further.
If the concern is the displacement of the ferial psalm cursus in favour of the festal, a concern I agree with in principle, the simple solution would surely be to specify the use of the ferial psalms in conjunction with the antiphons of the feast at either First and/or Second Vespers.
Today, for the last in this series on the Advent responsories, one of two responsories for the day that draw on the image of the 'Jesse tree' (one of the many versions of which is depicted above), inspired by Isaiah 11:1, named for the father of King David, and depicts the genealogy of Christ.
Isaiah 11 and the rod of Jesse
The text for the other responsory on this theme set for today, Radix Jesse is only loosely based on Scripture, and largely takes its cue from St Paul's allusion to Isaiah in Romans 15:12.
The text for this responsory, though, is taken straight from Scripture, from Isaiah 11:1-5 (the verses used in the responsory are bolded):
1 And there shall come forth a rod out of the root of Jesse, and a flower shall rise up out of his root.
Et egredietur virga de radice Jesse, et flos de radice ejus ascendet.
2 And the spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him: the spirit of wisdom, and of understanding, the spirit of counsel, and of fortitude, the spirit of knowledge, and of godliness.
Et requiescet super eum spiritus Domini : spiritus sapientiae et intellectus, spiritus consilii et fortitudinis, spiritus scientiae et pietatis;
3 And he shall be filled with the spirit of the fear of the Lord. He shall not judge according to the sight of the eyes, nor reprove according to the hearing of the ears.
et replebit eum spiritus timoris Domini. Non secundum visionem oculorum judicabit, neque secundum auditum aurium arguet;
4 But he shall judge the poor with justice, and shall reprove with equity for the meek of the earth: and he shall strike the earth with the rod of his mouth, and with the breath of his lips he shall slay the wicked.
sed judicabit in justitia pauperes, et arguet in aequitate pro mansuetis terrae; et percutiet terram virga oris sui, et spiritu labiorum suorum interficiet impium.
5 And justice shall be the girdle of his loins: and faith the girdle of his reins.
Et erit justitia cingulum lumborum ejus, et fides cinctorium renumejus.
R. Egrediétur / virga de radíce Iesse, et flos de radíce eius ascendet: * Et erit iustítia cíngulum lumbórum eius, † et fides cinctórium renum eius.
V. Et requiéscet super eum spíritus Dómini: † spíritus sapiéntiæ, et intelléctus: spíritus consílii, et fortitúdinis.
R. Et erit iustítia cíngulum lumbórum eius, † et fides cinctórium renum eius.
R. There shall come forth a rod out of the stem of Jesse and a branch shall grow out of his roots. * And righteousness shall be the girdle of his loins and faithfulness the girdle of his reins.
V. And the spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding.
R. And righteousness shall be the girdle of his loins and faithfulness the girdle of his reins.
LR 395/NR 145
Source: Nocturnale Romanum Project (D Crochu)
Origins of the responsories
I noted at the beginning of this (somewhat meandering) series that there are basically two modern theories around the origin of the responsories as we know them, namely a Roman origin in the fifth century, or an external origin, so that they were imported into the Roman Office perhaps through St Benedict's influence.
The Roman origin theory hangs largely on the use of the same term, responsorium, to describe both the singing of the psalms with a refrain, in earlier Roman use, and the great responsories of Matins.
But the use of the same term in itself is a pretty thin basis on which to construct a theory since many Office terms seem to have had completely different meanings in different places in late antiquity. An antiphon, for instance can mean variously a psalm sung antiphonally (Roman); a block of psalms (Jerusalem Office); or a refrain used in the modern sense (St Benedict); while the term missa means the ending of an hour with the Our Father in St Benedict, but a block of psalms, readings and prayers in Caesarius of Arles' Rules.
More importantly perhaps, if psalm based responsories were the prototype, one would surely expect there to be psalm based responsories in the sets used in association with the various books of the Bible as the repertoire expanded, rather than using texts taken from those books. In the Mass after all, most of the propers are clearly psalm based, and there are, after all, many psalm verses that directly relate to the various Scriptural books.
In fact though, psalm based responsories represent a very small part of the overall repertoire, and are mostly confined to use for particular seasons or feasts rather than in the 'histories' that likely formed the early core of the repertoire.
There is more to it than that, of course, and I hope to come back to this with a look at the de psalmiis responsories now used after Epiphany in the new year.
In the meantime though, I thought a good way to wind up this series on the Advent responsories, would be to take a quick look at some of the early claims around the origin of the responsories.
Gennadius and Isidore
I've already discussed Gennadius' witness to a mid-fifth century search for suitable psalm based texts for responsories for both the Mass and Office.
Another key reference point is Isidore of Seville's De Ecclesiis Officiis, which claims an Italian (but not specifically Roman) origin for them. The difficulty with this theory though, is just how widespread the several distinctive 'dialects' of responsories seem to be - indeed the early Coptic office also apparently used from form of responsory.
Accordingly, an eighth century text's claims on their origins, the Ratio de cursus, which claims Gallic origins for them, is of particular interest.
The Ratio de Cursus
Written by an Irish monk, the Ratio de Cursus is largely a defense of the validity of the Irish and Gallican forms of the divine office in the face of Carolingian efforts to impose the Roman and Benedictine forms universally.
Its main argument is that although Rome's Office may derive from St Peter's authority, the distinctive liturgies of other places too, had their roots in the teaching of the other apostles who evangelised them, as well as their successor bishops who developed and safeguarded those forms of the Office.
While some of its claims for the Gallican and Irish liturgy in particular are surely overstated, it is an intriguing document for several reasons.
First, it provides a useful witness to the existence of and awareness of several different of local Office traditions in use at that time in both the Easter and West, such as those of Alexandria, Antioch and Milan.
Secondly and more controversially, he argues that these different traditions reflect the patterns taught by different apostles, transmitted and developed through their successor bishops (for which he provides lists for several places).
The idea of the Office as either a divine or apostolic tradition, safeguarded and developed by the bishops, is not one you will find teased out in most standard books on the history of the Office, which are mostly more concerned with either the search for Jewish origins for it; or alternatively argue that the Office did not exist at all before the fourth century.
But in fact there are a number of earlier references to the Office as an ecclesial or apostolic tradition, and the topic deserves more exploration.
Thirdly, it is clear that the author has actually had very little contact with either the Roman or Benedictine Offices, and knew little or nothing about their history.
Ratio de cursus on the origin of the responsories
The key section of the document for our purposes, though, is this statement:
John the Evangelist chanted the first liturgy in Gaul, then later blessed Polycarp, disciple of saint John, then Iraneus, who was third bishop of Lyons of Gaul, sang this liturgy among the Gauls. From there, they composed reciprocal antiphons and responsories or chants [sonus] and Alleluias as a flow in modulations of the writings of the New and Old Testament,not from their own writings, but from the sacred scriptures. And the order of he Church, namely the liturgy of the Gauls, travelled the whole world and was diffused through the entire globe, which Jerome the priest ordained...(Trans Constant Mews, in Lynette Olson (ed), St Samson of dol and the earliest History of Brittany, Cornwall and Wales).
Whether we accept the claim that the responsories were Gallic in origin or not, it is clear that by the eighth century at least, the responsories were certainly not viewed as a Roman creation by those outside its sphere of influence.
Meanwhile, I hope you have found this series of interest (and any comments on it, on or offline will be welcome). I plan to go back and fill in footnotes for these posts, and may try and pull together a distillation of it over at Psallam Domino in due course).
Today's Advent responsory, Send forth the lamb, is the third for Friday in the third week, and also the last for the fourth Sunday of Advent.
Send forth the lamb
The text of the respond is taken directly from Isaiah 16:1; the verse is from Psalm 84:8:
R.Emítte / Agnum, Dómine, Dominatórem terræ, * De Petra desérti ad montem fíliæ Sion. V.Osténde nobis, Dómine, misericórdiam tuam, et salutáre tuum da nobis. R.De Petra desérti ad montem fíliæ Sion. V. Gloria Patri et Filio et Spiritui Sancto R.De Petra desérti ad montem fíliæ Sion.
R.Send forth the Lamb, O Lord, the Ruler of the land; * From the rock in the wilderness unto the mount of the daughter of Zion. V.Show us thy mercy, O Lord, and grant us thy salvation. R. From the rock in the wilderness unto the mount of the daughter of Zion. V.Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost. R. From the rock in the wilderness unto the mount of the daughter of Zion.
The chant
The chant itself is a very short chant in mode 2, drawing on standard melodic patterns, making it look, at least to my admittedly inexpert eye, as if it belongs to the older layers of responsories.
But although it appears in multiple sources, surprisingly it isn't contained in either of the two main 'Old Roman' manuscripts.
That in itself is not of course decisive, since some responsories that appear in earlier 'Ordines' aren't in the Old Roman manuscripts, so either moved in and out of the repertoire, were perhaps used in particular basilicas or churches not captured by the old Roman manuscripts, or perhaps have a non-Roman (but older) origin.
The lamb, the rock and the daughters of Sion
This responsory is one of those (relatively few) that it are entirely Scriptural and make no changes at all to the text. The psalm verse is identical in both the Romanum and Gallican versions, so there are no clues as to its origin or age there either.
The text of the respond is one of those highly symbolic texts from Isaiah, actually part of two chapters taking the form of an oracle directed against the ancient kingdom of Moab, condemned as a race of idolaters.
And there is certainly a long exegetical tradition around it. St Jerome, for example, explained that the lamb is of course Christ; the rock refers to Ruth, who, although of the race of Moab, forms part of the genealogy of Christ; and the daughter of Jerusalem refers to Sion or the Church.
Although there are a number of variant verses, none of them really give much aid to Scriptural interpretation: they assume this is one that everyone is familiar with, despite its complexity.
Since the versicle is also used at Matins of Fridays as the first Nocturn versicle though, as well as the second antiphon for the day hours on Tuesdays in the period December 17 - 23, it was clearly well-known as an Advent text.
Canonical texts and otherwise
Given the strictly Scriptural nature of today's text, a relative rarity amongst the Advent responsories, this seems like a good point to talk a little about the use of non-Scriptural texts in the Office responsory repertoire.
As we've seen, many responsories adapt the Scriptural texts somewhat, either to make the link with its usage clearer, to provide an interpretative gloss (sometimes quoting directly from Patristic commentaries), or make it more suitable to be sung as a short extract.
The merits of adapting Scriptural texts, or using non-Scriptural texts in the Office have long been hotly contested at times, with early prohibitions on the use of hymns in some places; indeed the debate still raged in the high middle ages, where the Carthusians, for example, 're-scripturalised' their responsories and other texts.
The responsory repertoire
The sixth century Italian Rule of St Stephen and Paul for example, seems to reflect Roman attitudes in admonishing its monks to stick strictly to the text of Scripture:
May no one in this community presume to sing, learn, or say the responses and antiphons, as some are wont to sing on an ornate tone, doing so as they wish, and not taking them from the canonical Scriptures.."
Only sing what you read is to be sung," as blessed Augustine has written; "do not sing what you read is not to be sung." What the Lord desired to reveal to us through his prophets and apostles is not to be rendered in praise so that it differs from what he himself has prescribed.
The comment rather implies that two competing repertoires of responsories, one Scriptural based, one with a more broader set of source texts, were already available in the mid to later sixth century, and indeed one of the earliest preserved Gallic psalm responds, for example, is actually non-Scriptural.
The instruction goes on to insist that what is supposed to be sung should not sound like the recitation of a reading, and vice versa.
Benedictine vs Roman attitudes
It is difficult, with the limited sources we have for the early Office, to know how this really played out in the acceptance into the repertoire and development of responsories, but it does seem likely that the wider debate about the use of non-Scriptural texts, which extended far beyond responsories, did have an impact.
In many of the early Eastern Rites, the use of non-Scriptural texts in the office, in the form of psalm refrains, hymns and other texts, flowered early on. This tradition was apparently imported to the West by St Ambrose and others.
But in Rome and some other places in the West, there was active resistance to this.
And on this, it is worth noting that the Benedictine Rule is, in this respect (and many others), quite different in its attitude to that reflected in the early Roman Office.
We are used, today, to seeing the Roman and Benedictine Offices as very closely linked, sharing a common rubrics and core texts.
But in reality this reflects a long history of mutual influence between the two forms of the Office.
Hymns, for example, though certainly part of the Ambrosian and Arles monastic Offices, seem not to have been used in the Roman secular office (and possibly the Roman monastic office as well, as the rule of the Master likewise did not include them) until very late indeed.
By contrast, St Benedict prescribes at least one hymn (and three for festal/Sunday Matins) for all of the hours of the Office.
Similarly, when it came to readings, where St Benedict famously prescribed Patristic (and possibly saints lives) readings for Matins, these may not have been part of the Roman secular Office until perhaps the eighth century.
These connections may well have played a role in the particular texts selected for responsories, and their allocation over the course of the year, as I hope to show in due course.
And by way of something to listen to for today, I couldn't locate a recording of today's responsory, but one of the other responsories of the day is Rorate Caeli, so herewith Byrd's setting of the text.
Today's responsory is the third for Tuesday in week three of Advent (also the seventh of Sunday), and contains some rich imagery of the Incarnation. The text is largely taken from Psalm 71:
R. Descéndet / Dóminus sicut plúvia in vellus: * Oriétur in diébus eius iustítia, et abundántia pacis.
V. Et adorábunt eum omnes reges, omnes gentes sérvient ei.
R. Oriétur in diébus eius iustítia, et abundántia pacis.
V. Glória Patri, et Fílio, et Spirítui Sancto.
R. Oriétur in diébus eius iustítia, et abundántia pacis.
R. The Lord shall come down like rain upon a fleece. * In His days shall righteousness flourish, and abundance of peace.
V. All the kings of the earth shall fall down before Him, all nations shall serve Him.
R. In His days shall righteousness flourish, and abundance of peace.
V. Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost.
R. In His days shall righteousness flourish, and abundance of peace.
St Augustine's commentary on this psalm links it to the story of Gideon and the fleece in Judges 6:
He has called to our minds and admonished us, that what was done by Gedeon the Judge, in Christ has its end. For he asked a sign of the Lord, that a fleece laid on the floor should alone be rained upon, and the floor should be dry; and again, the fleece alone should be dry, and the floor should be rained upon; and so it came to pass.
Which thing signified, that, being as it were on a floor in the midst of the whole round world, the dry fleece was the former people Israel.
The same Christ therefore Himself came down like rain upon a fleece, when yet the floor was dry: whence also He said, I am not sent but to the sheep which were lost of the house of Israel. There He chose out a Mother by whom to receive the form of a servant, wherein He was to appear to men...
The earliest responsories?
Most of the responsories we've looked at so far this Advent have been either non-psalm based, so this is an interesting example of a distinct set of psalm responsories clearly chosen for their appropriateness to the season or feast.
And indeed, one of the oldest possible references to the responsory repertoire relates to exactly this type of responsory. Gennadius of Marseilles wrote about some work commissioned by his predecessor Venerius (428-52), saying:
Musaeus, presbyter of the church at Marseilles, a man learned in Divine Scriptures and most accurate in their interpretation, as well as master of an excellent scholastic style, on the request of Saint Venerius the bishop, selected from Holy Scriptures passages suited to the various feast days of the year, also passages from the Psalms for responses suited to the season, and the passages for reading.
The readers in the church found this work of the greatest value, in that it saved them trouble and anxiety in the selection of passages, and was useful for the instruction of the people as well as for the dignity of the service.
He also addressed to Saint Eustathius the bishop, successor to the above mentioned man of God, an excellent and sizable volume, a Sacramentary, divided into various sections, according to the various offices and seasons, readings and psalms, both for reading and chanting, but also filled throughout with petitions to the Lord, and thanksgiving for his benefits.
By this work we know him to have been a man of strong intelligence and chaste eloquence. He is said to have also delivered homilies, which are, as I know, valued by pious men, but which I have not read. He died in the reign of Leo and Majorianus.
It is unclear in this, of course, whether he is talking about the Office was well as the Mass, particularly as the Gallic equivalent of the Roman Gradual was called a responsory. Still, the comment seems broad enough to encompass both uses of psalms.
And for a responsory, I want to take a brief look at Bethlehem civitas Dei, the second responsory for the Third Sunday of Advent as well as Monday in week three of Advent, brings us back firmly to the events of Christmas itself, but also on the implications of the Incarnation:
R. Bethléhem, / cívitas Dei summi, ex te éxiet Dominátor Israël, † et egréssus eius sicut a princípio diérum æternitátis, † et magnificábitur in médio univérsæ terræ: * Et pax erit in terra nostra, dum vénerit.
V. Loquétur pacem in géntibus, † et potéstas eius a mari usque ad mare.
R. Et pax erit in terra nostra, dum vénerit.
R. From you, Bethlehem, city of the Most High God, shall come forth he that is to be ruler of Israel; whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting, and now shall he be great unto the ends of the earth. * And there will be the peace in our land when he comes.
V. He shall speak peace unto the gentiles, and shall have dominion from sea to sea.
R.And there will be the peace in our land when he comes.
The text of the respond is based on Micah 5:2:
Et tu, Bethlehem Ephrata, parvulus es in millibus Juda; ex te mihi egredietur qui sit dominator in Israël, et egressus ejus ab initio, a diebus æternitatis.
Bethlehem-Ephrata! Least do they reckon thee among all the clans of Juda? Nay, it is from thee I look to find a prince that shall rule over Israel. Whence comes he? From the first beginning, from ages untold. (Knox translation).
The verse is from Zachariah 9:10.
This is another responsory that may have come into the Roman repertoire from Gaul or Spain.
It is worth noting though, that many of the Advent seasonal responsories we have been looking at were almost certainly not those used in the Benedictine Office in St Benedict's time due to the strongly ferial character of the Office at that time, but also because Advent (the Ember days aside) was mostly a rather late arrival to Rome. Although Christmas was introduced into the calendar early on, and the lead up to the feast quickly spread in the West, in Rome the pre-season itself seems to have developed only over the later part of the sixth century.
I want to continue today, my series on the Matins responsories with a look at the second responsory for Tuesday in weeks I&II of Advent, Ante multum tempus, which offers a nice example of the use of responsories as keys to interpretation of the Scriptural texts. I also want to provide the first of a few posts looking at the history of the repertoire.
Ante multum tempus
Here is the text of the responsory, laid out as it is sung.
R. Ante / multum tempus prophetávit Ezéchiel: Vidi portam clausam; † ecce Deus ante sæcula ex ea procedébat pro salúte mundi: * Et erat íterum clausa, demónstrans Vírginem, † quia post partum permánsit virgo.
V. Porta quam vidísti, Dóminus solus transíbit per illam.
R. Et erat íterum clausa, demónstrans Vírginem, † quia post partum permánsit virgo.
R. A long time ago, said Ezekiel the Prophet, I saw the gate shut: behold, God went forth from it before the ages for the salvation of the world. * And it was shut again, for it is a figure of the Virgin, in that after childbirth she remained a Virgin still.
V. The Lord alone shall enter by the gate that thou savest.
R. And it was shut again, for it is a figure of the Virgin, in that after childbirth she remained a Virgin still.
The text of both the respond and the verse is based on Ezekiel 44:1-2, though with some obvious non-Scriptural glossing in the second part of the respond.
Here are the relevant verses from Ezekiel, with some of the verbal allusions to the responsory text highlighted:
Et convertit me ad viam portæ sanctuarii exterioris, quæ respiciebat ad orientem: et erat clausa. 2 Et dixit Dominus ad me: Porta hæc clausa erit: non aperietur, et vir non transibit per eam, quoniam Dominus Deus Israël ingressus est per eam: eritque clausa principi. Princeps ipse sedebit in ea, ut comedat panem coram Domino: per viam portæ vestibuli ingredietur, et per viam ejus egredietur.
And the Vulgate translation:
Then he brought me back the way of the gate of the outward sanctuary which looketh toward the east; and it was shut. Then said the LORD unto me; This gate shall be shut, it shall not be opened, and no man shall enter in by it; because the LORD, the God of Israel, hath entered in by it, therefore it shall be shut. It is for the prince; the prince, he shall sit in it to eat bread before the LORD; he shall enter by the way of the porch of that gate, and shall go out by the way of the same.
The interpretation of the text provided by the responsory is very conventional, reflecting a long line of exegesis on Ezekiel's text as references to Our Lady's perpetual virginity that can be found in St Ambrose, St Augustine and many other Fathers.
The doctrine itself, though, was formally defined at the Lateran Council of 649, and there is at least one other Advent responsory (which I'll come to, Bethlehem civitas) that may have come into the repertoire at this time to reflect that.
The history of responsories: oral transmission
You can find the chant for it at the top of the post, but it is worth keeping in mind that up until the tenth century (or thereabouts), as far as we know, the transmission of the responsory (and other) chants was entirely oral.
There are a few early sources that preserve the texts of responsories in different (mostly non-Roman, at least for the earliest sources) traditions, and rather more that just provide the initial words of the responsory (incipit) for the relevant season or feast, but the melodies associated with them had to be committed to memory and passed down through generations of singers.
The transmission process could be fragile at times and places: if almost the entire body of monks was wiped out by illness (as happened during St Bede the Venerable's childhood at Wearmouth-Jarrow), invasions or other factors, the sources might have to be reimported from outside.
That oral traditions could be preserved faithfully over relatively long periods, though, is attested to by the similarities in many chants from quite diverse regions when they were finally written down.
It represents an extraordinary achievement, particularly given that the responsory repertoire is far larger than that of Mass propers.
It has been estimated that in the seventh century, for example, there were around 200 responsories in use; the late tenth/early eleventh century (monastic) Hartker Manuscript contains around 600 responsories (annotated with neumes); but by the high middle ages the number had expanded to over 2000. By way of comparison, the 1963 breviary contains around 800 responsories.
A Benedictine link...
Today's particular responsory, Ante multum tempus, doesn't appear in all that many manuscripts - the Cantus database lists only sixteen, most of them allocating it to the Third Sunday of Advent.
Nor does it appear in the Old Roman manuscripts (which are thought to represent seventh century Roman practice).
It does, however, appear in one that has many similarities to them, suggesting it may date from the same period, and appears in a manuscript written in Rome in the eleventh century preserved in the Biblioteca Vallicelliana, C.5.
This particular manuscript was used until 1219 by the Benedictine nuns of San Sisto on the Via Appia. It was then taken to the (by then Benedictine) Monastery of Sant' Eutizio in Norcia, near St Benedict's birthplace. That monastery was originally founded in the fifth century by Abbot Spes and St Eutychius, both monks (along with other hermits who settled near Norcia around this time whom St Benedict may well have known) displaced from Syria by heresies there, mentioned in Book III of St Gregory's Dialogues (ch 38).
I want to continue my series today, on the wonderful Matins repertoire of responsories, important both as a source for meditation and aid to Scriptural interpretation; but also as a source for insights on the early history of the Office.
Today, apart from looking at the responsory itself, a bit of background on their structure.
The responsories for meditation and reflection
Although I'm a keen advocate for monasteries reviving the Matins responsories where possible in chant (or polyphonic) settings, I should note that even if you just read them in text form outside of the Office, or sing them on one note in the context of the Office, I still think they have great value.
In particular, many of these texts preserve key theological concepts and themes that help us understand the meaning of the season, feast or bible book.
Accordingly today and tomorrow I want to take a quick look at a couple of responsories for which I can't locate a recording.
A responsory for Tuesday in the first week of Advent: Montes Israel
Today's responsory is the first of the responsories set for Tuesday in week one and two of Advent, Montes Israel, also used on the Fourth Sunday of Advent.
First of all, here's the text as it is said, with a translation:
R.Montes / Israël, ramos vestros expándite, † et floréte, et fructus fácite: * Prope est ut véniat dies Dómini.
V. Roráte, cæli, désuper, et nubes pluant iustum: † aperiátur terra, et gérminet Salvatórem.
R.Prope est ut véniat dies Dómini.
R. O ye mountains of Israel, shoot forth your branches and blossom and bring forth fruit. * The day of the Lord is at hand to come.
V. Drop down, ye heavens, from above, and let the skies pour down the Righteous One let the earth open, and let her bring forth the Saviour.
R. The day of the Lord is at hand to come.
First, a bit of background. The responsory, it should be noted is sung immediately after each reading of the day at Matins, 'respond' in some sense to the (ever changing) readings.
Although there are far fewer responsories than readings (typically the same set of up to eleven responsories is used from periods between a week and a month or more while the same book or set of books of the Bible is being read), in most cases the link between the responsory and the readings is fairly obvious, drawing us back to key overarching themes in the book being read, the season, or feast.
For most of the year, the texts of the respond are typically drawn from the Scriptural books being read (in December, the Matins readings are mostly from Isaiah), while the verses that then comment on it may be from the same or another biblical book, the psalms, or non-Scriptural sources.
The mountain of God in Ezekiel
The 'respond' section (marked R.), in this case is 'O ye mountains of Israel, shoot forth your branches, bloom and bring forth fruit, for the day of the Lord is at hand' and is sung to a composed melody specific to the responsory.
As for a few other Advent responsories, today's text comes from Ezekiel (36:8), though like most responsory texts, has been adapted somewhat. The book of Ezekiel was actually read in November rather December, so its use may possibly be a remnant of the original rather longer duration of Advent in Rome.
That theory gains some weight from the fact that it appears in the two 'Old Roman' manuscript sources, thought to preserve the seventh century Roman Office (as well as multiple other sources: the cantus database lists 82 manuscript sources for it).
Either way, it is worth looking also at the verses that comes after the respond text in Ezekiel, as it helps us understand the meaning of the responsory:
But you, mountains of Israel, must burgeon anew, and grow fruit for my own people to enjoy; their home-coming is not far off now. Watch for me, I am coming back to you; soil of you shall be ploughed and sown anew; and men, too, shall thrive on it, Israel’s full muster-roll, peopling the cities, restoring the ruins. (Knox translation)
Although the Advent responsories have arguably been selected mainly for their connection to Advent themes rather than to the book of Isaiah (which is read through December) per se, today's text does actually link quite directly (whether by accident or design), with the first reading for today from Isaiah, which is:
The word that Isaias the son of Amos saw, concerning Juda and Jerusalem. And in the last days the mountain of the house of the Lord shall be prepared on the top of mountains, and it shall be exalted above the hills, and all nations shall flow unto it. And many people shall go, and say: Come and let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, and to the house of the God of Jacob, and he will teach us his ways, and we will walk in his paths: for the law shall come forth from Sion, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.
The verse - Rorate caeli
In terms of the standard structure of responsories, the respond is followed by a verse (marked V.) in the text for today above, which is normally sung on a more or less fixed psalm tone varying according to the mode of the respond, which is then followed by a repeat of the second half of the respond.
There are some variants on this basic pattern - Aspiciens a longe, which I posted on previously, for example, is not alone in having more than one verse, and in some cases the repeated sections start from different places, but these are rare in the modern breviary at least.
Today's verse, Rorate caeli de super, is actually does come from Isaiah (45:8), and is probably best known in its hymn form. There are, however, many different settings of it both in responsory form (including as a respond), antiphon and more.
And for those interested in the chant version of the responsory, here it is:
Source: Stanhofe Nocturnale Romanum, via Gregobase
You can find an alternative version of the chant here.
I thought this Advent I might try to highlight one of the most neglected parts of the chant repertoire, namely the responsories of Matins.
The Matins responsories, which occur after each reading at the hour of Matins, are interesting and important from several perspectives, both in their own right, as encapsulations of the theology of and aids to interpretation of the season, saint or Scriptural text being read; as beautiful chants; and as historical evidence for the development of the Office.
I hope to touch on all those points, but above all, I want to encourage you to at least read through the texts of some of them, and ideally also listen to the chants or settings of some of them.
A neglected responsory repertoire
The responsories were a key part of the medieval Office, and many of them have polyphonic settings dating from the Renaissance and baroque periods.
But they have long been neglected in more recent times - Solesmes, for example, has produced editions of only a small selection of the total repertoire (published originally mainly in the Liber Responsorialis).
The Nocturnale Romanum produced by Peter Sandhofe in 2001 went a long way to filling the gap, but there are a number of issues with many of his transcriptions, a problem that the Nocturnale Romanum Project is aiming to rectify. In addition, though, as the Roman Office has fewer responsories than the Benedictine, many are still not available in published form.
Their modern neglect is understandable - singing them in full takes an average of at least five minutes apiece. Indeed, the one below, the first responsory for the First Sunday of Advent, comes in at over nine minutes in the recording I've chosen.
There is also a substantial learning curve associated with them - while many do draw on standard melodic structures, and the verses and doxologies do follow (mostly) pre-set forms (albeit somewhat more elaborate ones than the common psalm tones), some of the main chants are quite challenging. And there are a lot of them to learn!
So on Sundays and feasts with twelve lessons and responsories, that's around an extra hour (even added to an already long hour of the Office in its Benedictine form.
The function of the responsories
All the same, many of them are very beautiful indeed, and they do have a proper function, both in allowing time to reflect and meditate on the content of the reading, and aiding in its interpretation.
The texts of the responsories generally pick out key verses of the Bible book being read, or around the season or type of saint, and provide some direct (through the verse(s)) or indirect (through the musical setting) interpretative aids for it.
The Advent responsories
Advent actually has more than its fair share of responsories, possibly because the season was originally longer, stretching for six weeks until St Gregory the Great shortened the period in Rome at least.
This first one is actually probably best known in an English setting based on Palestrina, often used in the service of lessons and carols put on by Kings College and others. But I want to urge you to listen to at least some of the chant version, which I think has a particular charm.
R. Aspíciens / a longe, ecce video Dei poténtiam veniéntem, † et nébulam totam terram tegéntem. † Ite obviam ei, et dícite: * Núntia nobis, si tu es ipse, * Qui regnatúrus es in pópulo Israël.
V. Quique terrígenæ, et fílii hóminum, † simul in unum dives et pauper. Ite obviam ei, et dícite.
R. Ite obviam ei, et dícite.
V. Qui regis Israël, inténde, qui dedúcis velut ovem Ioseph.
R.Núntia nobis, si tu es ipse.
V. Tóllite portas, príncipes, vestras, † et elevámini portæ æternáles, et introíbit Rex glóriæ.
R. Qui regnatúrus es in pópulo Israël.
V. Glória Patri, et Fílio, et Spirítui Sancto.
R. Aspíciens a longe, ecce video Dei poténtiam veniéntem, et nébulam totam terram tegéntem. * Ite obviam ei, et dícite: * Núntia nobis, si tu es ipse, * Qui regnatúrus es in pópulo Israël.
R. I look from afar, and behold I see the power of God, coming like as a cloud to cover the land with the hosts of his people: Go ye out to meet him and say: Tell us if thou art he, * That shalt reign over God's people Israel.
V. All ye that dwell in the world, all ye children of men, high and low, rich and poor, one with another.
R. Go ye out to meet him and say.
V. Hear, O thou Shepherd of Israel, thou that leadest Joseph like a sheep.
R. Tell us if thou art he.
V. Lift up your heads, O ye gates, and be ye lift up, ye everlasting doors, and the King of Glory shall come in.
R. That shalt reign over God's people Israel.
V. Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, * and to the Holy Ghost.
R. I look from afar, and behold I see the power of God, coming like as a cloud to cover the land with the hosts of his people: Go ye out to meet him and say: Tell us if thou art he, * That shalt reign over God's people Israel.
In my last post I suggested starting to get ready for Advent now, as it is a particularly intensive time in the Office.
In this post, I want to continue on that theme, and highlight some of the key things you need to be aware of or remind yourself of.
The two parts of Advent
First, Advent essentially falls into two parts - the days up to and including December 16, which are Class III days; and the days between December 17 and 23, which are Class II.
First, throughout both parts of Advent, the 'Ordinary of Advent' is used, so make sure you are familiar with what is in it!
Aside from the Ordinary, it is important to keep in mind that unlike Lent and some other special seasons, the default collect throughout Advent is that of the Sunday of the relevant week of Advent, not of the day. The exceptions are for feasts, the Ember Days of Advent, and the Vigil of the Nativity.
Thirdly, unlike Lent, Class III feasts are not reduced to commemorations. Instead, when a feast occurs,the Advent day is 'commemorated' at both Lauds and Vespers, by using the canticle antiphon for the relevant hour and day of Advent, the versicle for Lauds or Vespers which is of the season, and the collect (of the Advent week). You can find more detailed notes on this here: how to make commemorations of the Advent day
Fourthly, there arecanticle antiphons for each day of Advent. During the first part of Advent, these are of the day of the Advent week. This pattern continues for Lauds during the second part of Advent, with the exception of two antiphons that are specific to the date (21 and 23 December), but at Vespers, the (O) antiphons are of the date for December 17 to 23.
Finally, when it comes to the antiphons for the psalms, during the first part of Advent, Prime to None use the antiphons of the relevant Advent Sunday. When the days are Class II, there are specific special antiphons for each day of the week. If you want to know more about antiphons, and particularly singing them, try these two posts: Antiphons in Advent Pt 1 and Antiphons Pt 2.
Want to know more?
For those wanting to know more, or needing more help, you can either get a full Ordo from Lulu, use the shorter notes on the Ordo page on this blog, and/or refer to the notes I've previously written on this topic.
For notes on the individual hours in advent, follow these links:
This is my annual reminder that the most complicated time of the year for the Office, Advent, is rapidly approaching, so its time to start getting ready!
This post is primarily for those relatively new to the Office - I'll say more for those more advanced in the next.
Get your Ordo now
The first key step is to make sure you have an Ordo at hand that you can use.
At a minimum, an Ordo will tell you what liturgical day is celebrated on each date, and how to resolve any conflicts between competing days and feasts (such as between Sundays and feasts, or competing days and dates in Advent).
Each year, the changing dates of 'moveable feasts' and seasons (stemming from the date of the first Sunday of Advent and Easter) interact with the calendar year cycle causing what the Diurnal calls occasions of 'concurrence' or 'occurence'.
For the coming year, I've found over sixty of these, and nine of these occur in December.
You can of course, sit down and work these out for yourself with the aid of the 'two tables' in the Diurnal, and a copy of the rubrics (since there are always some issues that aren't actually covered by the two tables). But you will need to have your wits about you if you choose that path!
A short version of the one I produce can be found at the page links on this blog - click here for December. Alternatively you can purchase a more detailed version which tells you exactly which texts you should use, and providing page numbers for them in the Diurnal and Antiphonale (if you are chanting the Office).
Make sure you know the structure of the hours thoroughly
Secondly, make sure you are very familiar with the different parts that make up each hour.
In the period of the calendar we are currently in, time after Pentecost, most of the texts you need, Sundays aside, can be found either in the psalter section of your Diurnal, supplemented by the section for feasts of saints.
During Advent, however, a lot of the texts in the psalter section are replaced by others, and on some days they may come from several different places.
If you get a copy of the Ordo, you will find summaries of the structure of the day hours there, or you can consult the notes on the Learn the Benedictine Office blog.
Make sure you are familiar with the Ordinary of Advent and where it slots in
The particular challenge for Advent is that the texts for the hours are a mix of the Ordinary of Advent'; psalm antiphons for the week or day of the week in the period 17-23 December; and canticle antiphons for the day of the Advent week and/or date.
And that's before taking into account some the feasts that fall in Advent, which usually require a 'commemoration' of the Advent day.
I would also suggest looking now at the section of the Diurnal with the 'Ordinary of Advent' (MD 9*), near the beginning of the Diurnal, and making sure you know where to substitute in these texts.
Start learning/revising the chants!
Finally, the Office is meant to be sung!
If you are new to chant, it is best to start slowly, but it is pretty easy to learn at least one or two of the hymns.
A very useful site for this purpose, is called Liber Hymnarius - you can find the file for the Vespers hymn, Conditor alme siderum) here. The words for the last two verses are different to the Benedictine Office version, but the rest aligns, and should be enough to get you going!
Advent is the most complex period of the year for the Office, so it is worth carefully reviewing how it works, and making sure you know how to place your ribbons, before Advent starts!
The Office
during Advent, up to December 16
Tomus Prior of the Monastic Breviary (MB) 1963 is used from I Vespers of the First
Sunday of Advent.
The season of Advent falls into two parts, the first of
which extends from the First Sunday of Advent up to December 16.
The ordinary days of Advent in this period are of the
third class (Class III). The default collects (for hours other than Prime and
Compline) are from the previous Sunday, except for the Ember Days in week three
of Advent).
On Sundays:
·There
are ‘proper’ texts for all hours, set out in the Proper of the Season (temporale)section of the Farnborough edition of
the Monastic Diurnal (MD) or Breviary (MB) for the relevant Sunday; and
·At
Matins, the antiphons and Nocturn III canticles are of Advent, set out in the
psalter section of the MB.
On weekdays:
·At
Matins the Invitatory antiphon, hymn, versicles and chapter are of the Ordinary
of Advent, MB 14 ff;
·At
Matins the (three) readings are of the Advent day (ie Monday in the first week
of Advent, etc);
·At
Lauds and Vespers the chapter, hymn, responsory and versicle are of the
Ordinary of Advent (MB 15 ff/MD 9* ff), which can be found in the temporale section of your Office book
(note: ignore the ‘throughout the year’ texts in the psalter section of your
Office book);
·Lauds
and Vespers have Benedictus and Magnificat antiphons for each day
of the relevant week of Advent;
·At
Prime to None the antiphons are taken from the relevant Sunday of Advent (MB 16
ff/ MD 13*ff); and
·At
Terce to None, the chapter and versicle are of Advent (set out in the psalter
section of your Office book).
On feast days, a commemoration of Advent, consisting of (in
order) the canticle antiphon (of the Advent day) and versicle (of the season) for
the relevant hour, as well as the collect of the Advent week or Ember Day, is
made at both Lauds and Vespers.
The Office in Advent between
December 17 and 23
The days between
December 17 and 23 are Class II days, and reflecting this, the liturgy
intensifies.
At Matins there is a
proper Invitatory antiphon for the season (Prope est, MB 14).
AtLauds to
Vespers a
set of antiphons for the psalms for each day of the week are used, set out at
MD 37*/AM 212 ff.
At
Laudsthe Benedictus
antiphons are normally of the relevant Advent day, but there are specific
antiphons said on December 21 and 23.
At
Vespers, the
'O Antiphons' (MD 35-6*/AM 208ff) are sung with the Magnificat,
displacing the Magnificat antiphon of the Advent day.
